Anne 13

  At an altitude of 10,000 meters, a Boeing airliner was flying through the clouds.

  This is a dedicated passenger plane of Maersk and also the flight that carried this business delegation.

  Minister Cabell sat in the luxurious airline seat in the VIP cabin, comfortably holding a glass of red wine, with a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at the girl leaning on Mr. Lawrence's chest.

  Annie sat palely in her father's lap, the oxygen content of the air circulation system having been deliberately increased to make it possible for her not to feel too uncomfortable even at an altitude of ten thousand meters.

  Annie had a head of raven-black hair, typical of Eastern people, with a straight fringe under her eyebrows and a pair of light brown eyes that shone like agate beads. Due to long-term illness, her body was very thin, looking more like a 15 or 16-year-old girl at the age of 20. Although her complexion wasn't good-looking, her spirit was still okay. Her long hair was simply tied in a princess knot behind her back, wearing a white lace retro palace gown, and on her feet were a pair of handmade Arabian leather slippers, making her look like a noble lady from the Middle Ages, without any hint of worldly air about her.

  "Miss Annie, this is your first time traveling far from home, right? China is a very ancient civilization with many mysterious and magical places. You must take a good look around. The Italian Marco Polo, in his travel notes, called it an oriental wonderland. I think so too. When I first came to this country, I was deeply impressed by the delicious food here. Miss Annie, you absolutely cannot miss the local snacks, they will not disappoint you and make your trip worthwhile."

  Minister Cabell introduced Annie while tapping his rounded belly with his short, thick fingers, apparently a gourmet.

  "M province is also a place with a long history, there are many ancient relics here, the scenery is not bad either, it's worth visiting... Mr. Lawrence, this is your second time in M province, right? I heard that last time you cooperated with M province's development project and did very well, it was quite successful! This time you must have a big plan too, looking forward to your success."

  Kabel raised his glass of red wine and toasted Lawrence, wishing him well from afar. From the start, he had understood that on this trip, he was just a nominal escort, and the real star was still Lawrence's Moss Company, so he was very respectful and courteous to Lawrence, even refusing to take the government plane and instead taking Lawrence's private jet with the Moss company entourage, just to let Lawrence know that on this trip, he was the main actor, and could play out the drama as he pleased. That way, he, the minister, could reap the benefits while also currying favor, what a delightful situation.

  Lawrence, sitting across from Cabell, didn't know what was going on in his stomach, but even if he wasn't doing this favor, the trip had brought a large industrial park development project. At that time, the focus of the trip would naturally fall on their side. The business and political circles had always been closely related, so if Lawrence wanted to give it, it would be better to continue. With government support, the project would be easier to implement.

  Lawrence was also very polite to Cabell, smiling and nodding his head in acceptance of his good intentions. Turning his head to look at his daughter in his arms, his eyes showed a mixture of love, worry, and uncertainty about whether he had made the right decision in letting her come along. But since they were already on the plane, it was no longer time to dwell on whether it was right or wrong. He was more worried about whether his daughter could handle the upcoming trip.

  The revised itinerary was handed over to Lin Haotian by the staff of Moss Company, who had been in contact with M Province, before he boarded the plane. He also discussed the feasibility of the arrangement with Dr. Mais, Annie's attending physician and chief doctor, and felt that it would be more appropriate to separate Annie's schedule from the official one. This way, the medical staff accompanying her could follow closely without any inconvenience. If they were still following the official itinerary, there would be many inconvenient places. Take the ambulance that followed them everywhere, for example. It was hard to guarantee that those who didn't know the inside story wouldn't have a bad impression. Even if Cabell knew it was prepared for Annie, he couldn't help but feel unhappy. Although the plan had been agreed upon, Lin Haotian's heart was still uneasy, worrying that something unexpected might happen if he wasn't by her side. Alas, Mr. Laurence was too concerned about his daughter. If something were to happen, it seemed like it would happen whether you were there or not. And if it did happen, the medical staff would be more useful than you, anyway. It's just that, as a father, he really couldn't put his heart at ease.

  Early in the morning, Su Mei sat down at her position and was organizing today's important work materials when she heard Zhou Jing and Secretary Tian Lin whispering behind her.

  "Hey, guess who I ran into last weekend?"

  Zhou Jing said mysteriously to Tian Lin.

  "Who did you see? A movie star?"

  Tian Lin found Zhou Jing's mysterious behavior somewhat amusing.

  "No, it's our boss!"

  "There's nothing strange about it, every time there's a task before the weekend, Lao Da never goes home, who in the team doesn't know that."

  "It wouldn't be strange if it was just the boss himself... I saw him with a very pretty girl, taking the bus together! And the boss wasn't wearing his uniform, but casual clothes."

  "No way? Even if the boss and his girlfriend go out, they wouldn't take a bus, would they? Besides, I've never heard that the boss has a girlfriend. Did you see it wrong?"

  Tian Lin also started to take an interest in Zhou Jing's words, both of them thinking that Qin Feng didn't have a girlfriend, automatically screening out Su Mei.

  "It shouldn't be wrong, with Lao Da's figure template, it can be recognized from a distance..."

  "Who did you say saw who with?"

  Zhou Jing was suddenly asked by Su Mei, and she was stunned. She thought of her sister's thoughts about Lao Da every day, and she didn't know how to answer her for a moment. At this time, Lin Hao Tian and Qin Feng walked out of their small room.

  "Everyone get ready and take their positions, the business group will arrive at 10 o'clock, personnel in charge of each line should immediately take their positions and make preparations for pick-up, I and Qin Feng will go to the airport to pick them up, let's move!"

  Lin Haotian gave a simple and clear order as soon as he came out, and after arranging the personnel, he also went to the airport with Qin Feng and the members in charge of the outer line on the bread car.

  Su Mei's mind was like a burst of cotton, her heart grew grass. Since hearing Zhou Jing say that Qin Feng and a girl were together, she had been thinking about that sentence in her mind: he and a beautiful girl are together...beautiful girl...beautiful girl...who is that person? Could it be that Qin Feng really has a girlfriend? Then what should she do?

  Su Mei's mind was a mess, from the office to the traffic control center, she was distracted all the way. If it wasn't for Zhou Jing reminding her, she almost didn't realize when to get off the bus. She thought to herself, should she do something? Had her actions been too subtle all along? Should she be more proactive? But how? Who was that girl...

  Su Mei was still entangled as she walked into the traffic control center, the tense and orderly work atmosphere made her put down those entanglements and devote herself to work.

  Lin Hongjiang led the minister who had come to pick him up, as well as a group of government officials, into the VIP lounge where Lin Haotian and Qin Feng were already waiting.

  As the crowd walked into the waiting room, Mu Siqi felt a moment of unease when he saw Lin Haotian, but quickly regained his composure and strode confidently towards Lin Haotian, who was chatting with others, and extended his hand.

  "Hello, I am Mu Siqi, and I have been assigned as a special caregiver for Miss Annie this time."

  Lin Haotian also had a hint of misunderstanding when he saw Muxi, and suddenly realized that this task was not ordinary. The only one who could make his mother feel at ease was her student, Muxi. Looking at her serious face now, he again had the idea to tease her, but considering the time and place were not right, he didn't want to be too reckless. Thinking that she was Annie's exclusive bodyguard, they would have a long future ahead of them. With this thought in mind, he formally shook hands with her, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then ignored her.

  Mu Siqi saw him so calm, just politely greeted and didn't say anything else. Getting anxious, she took another step closer to Lin Haotian and stood beside him.

  "Officer Lin, I know you'll be escorting Annie's itinerary all the way through. As Annie's personal bodyguard, there may be some things that will require your assistance later on. I hope you can understand and look forward to our cooperation going smoothly."

  Lin Haotian turned to look at Mu Siqi, who was slightly tense beside him, and found her current appearance somewhat cute. The thought of teasing her that he had just suppressed rose again, but it couldn't be too obvious. Pretending to think for a moment, the corner of his mouth hooked up, "Alright, I also hope we can cooperate happily. Then, in order to cooperate better, don't call me Officer Lin anymore, call me... Haotian, or Tian Ge is fine too."

  He finished speaking and turned to walk towards the government personnel, leaving Mu Siqi who was still in a daze. Mu Siqi came back to his senses, seemingly, as if he had been fooled again, feeling angry inside, but unable to lash out, could only glare at Lin Haotian, helplessly letting out a sigh.

  The plane landed smoothly and steadily, with a passageway connecting the cabin door to the VIP lounge. Annie sat in a wheelchair as she appeared in the lounge with her father, Mr. Laurence, and was greeted by a crowd of people.

  "Welcome! Minister Cabell, Mr. Lawrence, welcome your visit!" Lin Hongjiang as the host, first gave a warm welcome speech, and then introduced the minister who came with him. After a round of handshakes, Lin Hongjiang once again warmly shook hands with Lawrence and said, "Old friend, we meet again! I look forward to our cooperation this time, giving the world an even bigger surprise."

  "Dear Governor Lin, the last time you and Mr. Lawrence collaborated on the 'International Metropolis' project, it dropped many people's jaws. If you do something even bigger this time, how many more jaws will drop?"

  Minister Cabell, who was standing by, heard the translation and jumped in, his somewhat exaggerated tone causing everyone to burst out laughing. Yes, the International Grand Bazaar was the first cooperative project between Moss & Co. and Province M, and after its completion, it shocked many people who were initially skeptical about the project with its astonishing development speed, and also solidified Moss & Co.'s confidence in cooperating with Province M again.

  After laughing, Lin Hongjiang turned to Annie, who had been silently staring at him beside Lawrence, bent down slightly, with a smile as if facing his own daughter, and stretched out his hand to shake hands with her.

  "Hello! Miss Annie, welcome to our magical kingdom. Hope you can discover some magic here and have a wonderful time playing."

  Annie smiled politely and extended her hand, looking at the foreign man in front of her who had a smile similar to her father's. Her heart was filled with anticipation for this trip to M Province.

  Mù Sī Qí walked over to introduce himself to Annie and her accompanying doctor, Dr. Mai. Lin Hao Tian also came over to chat with them in English. Watching Lin Hao Tian speak fluent English, Mù Sī Qí looked at him with some surprise and curiosity.